1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ancillary or accessory equipment used in conjunction with copying or reproducing machines for feeding and receiving papers which are passed through such machines for purposes of producing copies. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the invention relates to apparatus for feeding elongated fan-folded papers, both original documents and copy paper, to a xerographic reproducing machine, and for receiving such papers in a fashion to facilitate convenient further use and storage.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,760 entitled "SYSTEM FOR FEEDING ELONGATED DOCUMENTS TO REPRODUCING APPARATUS" filed on May 22, 1978, and issued Jan. 29, 1980, I describe a system by means of which elongated, relatively narrow sheets of copy paper may conveniently be fed to a xerographic copying machine in synchronization with the feeding to the machine of an elongated fan-fold type original document. This system satisfied a need in enabling the conventional xerographic copying apparatus to be utilized for producing continuous, elongated copies of such similarly elongated original documents as galley proofs of manuscripts, oil and gas well logs, electrocardiograms, teletype printouts, strip charts made on various types of continuous recorders, adding machine tapes, computer printouts, the output of graphic plotters and seismic data, and the like.
The apparatus described in my previously issued patent comprises a collapsible, vertically extending A-frame which includes a pair of opposed, vertically extending divergent sides pivotally connected to each other at their upper ends and having their lower ends horizontally spaced from each other. The two sides of the A-frame carry paper roll supporting elements upon which active and standby rolls of elongated copy paper can be supported for selective feeding to the xerographic copying machine. The A-frame further carries at its upper end, and provides support for, a feed tray which has one end detachably engaged with the upper side of the A-frame and the other end supported adjacent a paper feeding mechanism constituting a subassembly conventionally included in such reproducing or copying apparatus.
While the feeding system described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,760 has worked well in practice, I have now improved that system in several respects. I have made a more compact supporting stand for supporting and feeding elongated copy paper from rolls carried on the stand, and I have improved the paper feed tray employed for feeding the fan-folded original documents to the reproducing machine at a location above the point of feed of the copy paper. The stand employed can be quickly and easily set up adjacent the copying machine, and when not in use can be folded compactly into a relatively small volume. The feed tray employed for feeding the fan-folded original documents to the copying machine is selectively positionable to facilitate feeding fan-folded documents of various widths in a trouble-free fashion. The present system further includes a document collection tray which is constructed to facilitate quick attachment to a conventional xerographic copying machine, and when so attached, to automatically deflect fan-folded original documents passing out of the machine into a stacked fan-folded configuration.